Ossining has Westchester’s First LEED Platinum Passive House

An Ossining home is the first LEED Platinum passive house in Westchester County.  

The house, located near the Teatown nature preserve, is both net zero (producing more energy than it uses) and carbon neutral, including its electric vehicle charging, according to homeowner Daniel Colombini. 

The single-family, three-bedroom house with an attached garage has about 3,500 square feet of living space, according to Colombini, a principal at the New York City-based engineering firm Goldman Copeland. 

A passive house is a performance-based energy standard in construction. LEED is the world’s most widely used green building rating system, and LEED Platinum is its highest certification.  

The home is a partial tear-down and retrofit, meaning the house Colombini originally purchased was torn down except for the foundation, which was retained, and 75% of the materials in the old house were reused. 

The new house contains a high-performance thermal enclosure, airtightness and heat recovery, continuous balanced ventilation, high-performance glazing of windows and doors, shading and daylighting, and moisture control.  

The cost of construction was 8% higher than a traditional house. That additional cost will be paid off by energy savings within 10-15 years, with energy savings continuing to accrue thereafter, according to Goldman Copeland. 

All new planting and landscaping on the property consists of native species, designed to improve storm water management and mitigate invasive species. 

 The architect is Christina Griffin of CGA Studio in Hastings-on-Hudson. 

“The Colombini house is a landmark project in Westchester,” Griffin said. “Not only does it reach the highest standards of energy efficiency and sustainability, but it demonstrates that they can be attained at an additional cost that can be recouped through energy savings in about a decade – far less than the period of a typical home mortgage.” 

Colombini, who grew up in Ossining and then Katonah, lives in the house with his wife and son. He said he hoped his home would set an example locally and nationally. 

“Energy-efficient and green design is vital, given the challenges of climate change,” Colombini said. “This house provides the home that my family wanted, while demonstrating that the highest standards can be attained cost-effectively.” 

Captions:

Exterior: An exterior view of Daniel Colombini’s house. Photo: Goldman Copeland

Interior: An interior view of Daniel Colombini’s house. Photo: Goldman Copeland